Common name: Lotus, Sacred lotus, East Indian Lotus • Hindi: कमल Kamal, Pundarika, पद्म Padma • Manipuri: থম্বাল Thambal • Marathi: Pandkanda, कमल Kamal • Tamil: செந்தாமரை chenthaamarai, Tamarai, அம்பல் Ambal • Malayalam: Tamara • Telugu: Tamara, Erra-tamara • Kannada: Tavare-gadde • Bengali: কমল Komol, পদ্মা Padma • Oriya: ପଦମ Padam • Urdu: نیلوفر Nilufer • Assamese: Padam • Gujarati: Motunkamal • Sanskrit: सरसिज Sarsija, Pankeruha , शारदा Sharada, अम्बुज Ambuj
Botanical name:Nelumbo nuciferaFamily:Nelumbonaceae (Lotus family)Synonyms: Nelumbium speciosum
Lotus is the national flower of India. No other plant figures so
prominently in Asian religions as the Lotus. Both Hindus and Buddhists
regard it as a sacred symbol and use it not only in offerings but also in
countless art forms. The Lotus is native to Asia and flourishes in a wide
range of climates from India to China. Unlike other members of water lily
family, its large pink or white petalled flowers and leaf stalks rise above
the water, sometimes for a considerable distance. The large, round leaves
are covered with a network of microscopic hairs, which keep them dry in a
rain. When the flower flower petals fall, they are replaced by a
flat-topped seed pod divided into compartments, resembling a wasp's hive.
The tender seeds are munched happily in the north-east India. Infact, the
stem is eaten almost in all parts of India, and pickled too. A postal stamp
was issued by the Indian Postal Department to commemorate this flower.